1985 The Rev. Gilbert Gauthe, a Louisiana priest who molested more than 100 boys, is sentenced to 20 years in prison.

1985 U.S. bishops meet in Minnesota and discuss sex abuse for first time.

1985 Two priests and a lawyer who defended the church in the Gauthe case produce a report predicting that sex abuse by priests will cost church $1 billion, and urging bishops to develop a national policy.

1990 The Rev. Bruce Ritter, founder of a house for runaways in New York City, resigns after accusations he had relationships with boys.

1991 First victims support group is founded by the mother of an abused boy in Chicago.

1992 The pope issues apostolic exhortation, overhauling seminary education, including more teaching about sexuality and celibacy.

1992 Torrent of cases of sexual abuse by priests reported in American media. Bishops agree on five steps to prevent sexual abuse.

1993 Archbishop Robert F. Sanchez of Santa Fe resigns after mismanaging abusive priests and confessing that he had had sexual relationships with several women.

1993 James R. Porter, accused of molesting hundreds of children in three states, is convicted. 1994 Steven Cook withdraws a $10 million lawsuit accusing Cardinal Joseph Bernardin of Chicago of molesting him. 1997 A jury finds Dallas Diocese negligent for failing to prevent the Rev. Rudolph Kos from sexually abusing at least 11 boys bet-ween 1977 and 1992. 1998 Bishop J. Keith Symons of Palm Beach, Fla., who admitted he molested five boys, is the first U.S. bishop to resign for abusing children.

2001 Bridgeport Diocese agrees to pay at least $12 million to settle cases of 26 people who said they had been abused by six priests. January 2002 Judge unseals documents showing Cardinal Bernard Law and his aides in Boston Archdiocese reassigned abusive priests, including the Rev. John Geoghan, accused of assaulting more than 130 minors.

February Lay group Voice of the Faithful is formed in Boston Archdiocese.

March 8 The Rev. Anthony J. O'Connell, bishop of Palm Beach, resigns after admitting he had sexually abused a Missouri seminary student more than 25 years ago.

April 23-25 American cardinals and leading bishops are summoned to the Vatican for meetings on the abuse crisis.

Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland

May 24 Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland of Milwaukee resigns after news reports revealed he had paid $450,000 to a man who claimed he had been abused by the archbishop.

June 11 Bishop J. Kendrick Williams of Lexington, Ky., resigns after being accused of abusing two minors decades ago, a charge that he denied.

Reuters Bishop Harry Flynn listens to a victim of sexual abuse in Dallas in June.

June 12 - 15 U.S. bishops meet in Dallas, hear testimony from abuse victims and agree on new policy to oust all priests suspected of abusing minors.

Oct. 18 Vatican substantially revises the Dallas policy, saying accused priests must be judged by tribunals made up of priests.

Dec. 13 Cardinal Bernard Law resigns after judge unseals more church documents revealing he knowingly reassigned priests who had sexual relations with girls, boys and women.

<edit> Alas, they list Father Ephraim's monasteries among their "Controversial Orthodox Groups". I wish these people would research things like this more carefully. Some of the quotes they have on their site are clearly from misinformed people. Particularly the one who is "very well read on Orthodox monasticism" who I doubt had ever set foot in a monastery before in his life.

<edit> Alas, they list Father Ephraim's monasteries among their "Controversial Orthodox Groups". I wish these people would research things like this more carefully. Some of the quotes they have on their site are clearly from misinformed people. Particularly the one who is "very well read on Orthodox monasticism" who I doubt had ever set foot in a monastery before in his life.

(sigh)

John.

While www.pokrov.org may serve as a useful vehicle in identifying abusive Orthodox clergy, e.g., Pangratios of Vasiloupolis, the site goes off into too many directions, many of which have nothing to do with sex abuse by clergy, and shows the clear bias of the site's moderators against many aspects of traditional Orthodoxy, including monasticism. The moderators, especially Attorney Melanie Julie Sakoda and Cappy Larson, have too many old axes to grind with the Church, are on a relentless witchhunt, and are not beneath besmirching the reputations of the innocent along with the guilty in their crusade.

Sakoda appears to carry a personal grudge of many years against His Grace, Bishop TIKHON of San Francisco and the West (OCA) for a case in which a layman dressed in black allegedly abused some small children in the choir loft of Holy Trinity Cathedral in San Francisco while their parents were elsewhere. The case was settled out of court while the alleged perpetrator was in jail. Since then, Bishop TIKHON has put into place guidelines against sex abuse by clergy and others in his Western Diocese that have been adopted as the model for the entire OCA.

Hypo-Ortho

Logged

Economan

I think you're being unfair towards POKROV. In the case of Elder Ephrem's monasteries, I think there is more of a cult mentality then is commonly recognized, and they are only pointing out a service. If New Skete had a charismatic leader, perhaps they would criticize him as well.And, in the case of CSB, they are right-while they have thrown away their old new-age beliefs, many of their parishes (from my experience) are cult-like, giving the priest a power status that most Orthodox Christians don't have with their own parish priests.

Economan

I guess this puts me in an awkward position: I'll gladly defend traditional Orthodoxy (esp. in the GOA) but because of some admittedly bad personal experiences, I have to agree with Pokrov in their analysis.I think its possible to raise one's flag in the traditional camp and be critical of Fr. E, the CSB, etc. Of course, I recently got hammered on this forum for suggesting that I didn't mind clean-shaven priests, and that they were an ok expression of American Orthodoxy (at least keep the undercassock though!).

I am SHOCKED! I remember this fellow from the mid-1990s when he wrote long, well-written articles for the Moscow Patriarchate’s US magazine, One Church: an intellectual former high-Episcopal minister turned apparently orthodox Russian Orthodox priest, zealous for the Moscow Patriarchate and a bit anti-Catholic too. Right or wrong, he had my respect. I think his zeal for the MP may have cost him his writing job with One Church because he wrote a piece that was anti-OCA. Thought he went to the Romanian Church after that.

Hypo-Ortho

Abuse by clergy is very sad to hear. By doing it, clergy betray our trust, and in the end it benefits no one to hide scandal as God will not be mocked.

Agreed. And the pokrov website serves a very useful purpose in identifying convicted and abusive Orthodox clergy. But that does not make the website moderators competent to criticize the Church in other areas, e.g., monasticism. Anyone who has followed pokrov over the years knows about the grudges they still bear, often with ad hominems against certain hierarchs, even though perpetrators are behind bars and victims have been paid out mucho $$$'s in out-of-court settlements with Church funds, mostly from the donations of the faithful.

I think there is more of a cult mentality then is commonly recognized, and they are only pointing out a service

Let me guess that you have never been to Saint Anthony's? I have been there and can assure you there is nothing cultic. It is only those who hate monasticism and all that it stands for (denial of one's own will, poverty, fasting etc.) would have a problem with the Elder Ephraim. Then again many hated Saint Nektarios in his day for the same reasons...

Your points are well-taken. A GOA priest whom I know told me that some of his parishoners went to Fr. E for confession and were given penances that were so severe that it was impossible for them to complete. Yet my chant instructor (not at St. Vlad's) is a spiritual son of Fr. E and reports only the best.

I think that we need to be cautious of anyone that has as much power as Fr. E. but at the same time acknowledge that some of his detractors have an anti-monastic agenda (not my son! why didn't he become a doctor for God's sake if he wanted to help people!)

Did you get hammered here for saying cleanshaven priests are ok or did you also say something to the effect that Americans should dump riassas (I don't remember to be honest)? Cuz I don't really care about facial hair--if someone can't grow a beard he shouldn't try it! (I by the way have a beard) but if someone talks down riassas there will be trouble! haha

Economan

Actually, you're right, I've neve been to St. Anthony's, though I've had many opportnities in the past. Nektarios, didn't you say you live in Washington State? I have been to St. John the Forerunner Monastery in Goldendale three times. Also, I do have quite a bit of experience with clergy/laity who frequent Fr. E's monasteries, and who have spiritual fathers at them. I've even listened to a series of lectures on cassette tape by a GOA priest who lectured at Goldendale, and who was featured quite negatively on Pokrov (he's a priest back in Pennsylvania at one of Fr. Ephraim's monasteries there).

In Christ,

Economan

Edit: Sorry Nektarios! I thought for some reason you were from Washington. I just checked your profile and it says you live in Phoenix! St. John the Forerunner Monastery in Goldendale, Washington is one of Fr. Ephraim's monasteries.

I think there is more of a cult mentality then is commonly recognized, and they are only pointing out a service

Let me guess that you have never been to Saint Anthony's? I have been there and can assure you there is nothing cultic. It is only those who hate monasticism and all that it stands for (denial of one's own will, poverty, fasting etc.) would have a problem with the Elder Ephraim. Then again many hated Saint Nektarios in his day for the same reasons...

Nektarios, I have heard many others voice the same thing that you have stated. I don't think that Elder Ephraim's monasteries are cultic.

In the case of Elder Ephrem's monasteries, I think there is more of a cult mentality then is commonly recognized,

Everything I have heard about Fr. Ephraim's monasteries jives completely with the monasteries on Mt. Athos I've visited and every other orthodox monastery I have been to in Greece. It seems clear to me that those people who consider them to be cultish, visited the monasteries with a completely mistaken idea of what to expect. Monastics live a life of complete humility and obedience to their spiritual father, pretty much the complete opposite of secular life in modern society where everything centres around the rights of the individual. Some will see this as giving Fr. Ephraim complete power over the monks in his care when in truth it is an enormous responsibility and a great burden for him, though one I am sure he carries with joy.

If you can get hold of the book "Elder Joseph the Hesychast" I thoroughly recommend it. As he was the spiritual father of Father Ephraim, it will give you valuable insight as to where Fr. Ephraim is coming from.

I think there is more of a cult mentality then is commonly recognized, and they are only pointing out a service

Let me guess that you have never been to Saint Anthony's? I have been there and can assure you there is nothing cultic. It is only those who hate monasticism and all that it stands for (denial of one's own will, poverty, fasting etc.) would have a problem with the Elder Ephraim. Then again many hated Saint Nektarios in his day for the same reasons...

Nektarios, I have heard many others voice the same thing that you have stated. I don't think that Elder Ephraim's monasteries are cultic.

I would also add, Sinjinsmythe, that the Elder Ephraim's monasteries in the USA have the full approbation and blessing of His Eminence, Archbishop Demetrios of the GOA. The phenomenal growth of these monasteries is unprecedented in American Orthodoxy, and their strict adherance to the Athonite ideals of traditional monasticism is hard to be matched in the monasteries of other jurisdictions.

Hypo-Ortho

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Economan

"Everything I have heard about Fr. Ephraim's monasteries jives completely with the monasteries on Mt. Athos I've visited and every other orthodox monastery I have been to in Greece. It seems clear to me that those people who consider them to be cultish, visited the monasteries with a completely mistaken idea of what to expect. Monastics live a life of complete humility and obedience to their spiritual father, pretty much the complete opposite of secular life in modern society where everything centres around the rights of the individual. Some will see this as giving Fr. Ephraim complete power over the monks in his care when in truth it is an enormous responsibility and a great burden for him, though one I am sure he carries with joy."

Ah, now I see where I've been mistaken all along. I need to go to Greece and visit Athos itself, and spend a couple of months being obedient at the crown jewel of the Elder Epharim monastic scene, St. Anthony's. Heck, maybe I'll have to drop in at Platina on the way down.(being very sarcastic). I'd better stock up on my Fr. Seraphim Rose books, and pick up a 500 knot prayer rope, so I can at least look the part of a monastic wanna-be.

I too ask your forgiveness. Although my post was directed at those who consider the monasteries founded by Fr. Ephraim as cultish and not at you specifically, I realise that you put yourself in that category so I could have worded my post a bit differently. (particularly since I quoted your post in my response... )

I do stand by what I said though. If you consider those monasteries as cultish then you are going to have to consider the monasteries of Mt. Athos (and not only them) as cultish too.

Could you perhaps elaborate on specifically what it is you find cultish about them along with your view on how they should be. A constructive discussion about those issues could be quite worthwhile I think.

There is some validity to your somewhat sarcastic post above. I have been living in Greece for the last ten years so I have been immersed in a culture that is orthodox in the majority, quite the opposite of the situation in America. I live within two hours of Mt. Athos (not including the ferryboat) and have something like 15-20 monasteries within an hours drive from my home. There are monasteries in this country older than those established on Mt. Athos, dating from at least the 3rd century. Thus, monasticism is a normal part of life here in Greece. The rule of obedience that is followed by young monks does not raise any eyebrows here, though I imagine that in the context of American culture it would raise a lot of red flags. Here, it is something that has been working effectively for centuries whereas in America it is something novel and alien, something to be suspicious of. Hopefully attitudes will change, but since monks are front line warriors in the invisible spiritual battle that continues to rage about us, we can expect that there will be many more accusations like this to come.

There are a couple of good books that are available in english, "An Athonite Gerontikon" and "Athonite Fathers and Athonite Matters" which will give you a good idea of the kind of monks produced by this rule of obedience. I may be mistaken but my understanding is that the majority of the Saints we remember in the church calendar are monks.

Have you read Fr. Theologos Pantanizopoulos' response to the claims made publicly by his parents regarding the monasteries and his becoming a monk? It is, after all, around him that most of this controversy had arisen in the first place.

Edit: Sorry Nektarios! I thought for some reason you were from Washington. I just checked your profile and it says you live in Phoenix! St. John the Forerunner Monastery in Goldendale, Washington is one of Fr. Ephraim's monasteries.

No problem about the confusion, being in Phoenix I am a mere hour away from St. Anthony's. I've never seen the cultic stuff nor have any of the people I know seen anything "wrong" hapening at the monastery.